I can't overstate how much I cherish Indie gaming. It is still a pure place of creativity where anything goes, unmarred by the toxic touch of the Suit People from Planet Capitalism. Ideas that do not need to be filtered through a focus group. Concepts that come raw from creators sizzling domes. But this unbound cauldron of ideas is just one aspect of the Indie scene's glory. Another is the capability to revisit genres and mechanics that most nowadays corporate robots would deem... Unprofitable. Games made for simple fun, games with loops taken straight out of Nintendo 64 or PlayStation 2. And SLASH QUEST, in my mind, triggered memories of such a time when gaming was meant to be fun without any need for grand narratives and cinematic feel.
SLASH QUEST is an exercise in simplicity, pure, and polished. The entire game is designed around your movement mechanic, which, incidentally, is also your primary combat loop. You're Shep the unfortunate (or, indeed, very lucky - depending on how we look on such things) shepherd who found a magic sword. Not just ANY magic sword, mind you, but the great Royal Sword, Swordie, which has a heroic spirit and a very active mouth. And so, this epic blade wants to take you on a noble quest - to find its original owner, the Queen of the land aptly named Queendom.
But because our impromptu hero is a shepherd and not a warrior, their fighting skills are rather non-existent. But that's not a problem! Holding a big blade up front and running around seems to do the trick well enough. And so, we'll embark on a short, succinct adventure through 16 levels in 4 different biomes to find out what happened to the lost Queen.
Simple. Simplicity is the core of the experience and this game is a beautiful reminder that simple never has to mean dumbed down or boring. Easy to grasp mechanic of movement with a sharp instrument is well utilized by pretty clever level design. Each of the four biomes presents different traps, obstacles, and enemies that will ask you to adapt your motions on the fly. Bosses tend to be very gimmicky, which works well considering what kind of skillset you're working with. Did I mention that your sword extends with each enemy chopped? No? Well, it does. And it also shrinks each time you hit a rock or another hard surface that will bounce your edge away. This alone adds a nice level of focus to your controls, as you always aim to have the longest blade possible and it makes everything easier - from slaughtering critters to solving puzzles.
Oh yeah, puzzles! There are plenty of gizmos all around the levels, activated by your sword. Flipping dragon head switches for rotating bridges, corkscrew lifts... You name it. Levels often contain little logical conundrums to solve, involving finding a proper way or order of activation for the elements of the puzzle. It's a fine addition that only scales up on the challenge levels one of the friendly NPCs will give you. But of course, it wouldn't be a complete game without abilities to upgrade, each offering you a new tool in your journey, an advantage of sorts - there are 12 of them and each grants a slight but well-felt alteration to your play style. Oh. And each level contains chests to find, some cleverly hidden and asking for a rather diligent exploration. Lovely!
On top of that, the game is pretty dense for such a tight package. Sure, the main campaign might only be 16 levels, easily cleared in a couple of evenings, but the game level-based structure at least for me made it a great title to consume in little morsels. A level or two here and there, a couple of runs with one of the few fun minigames, and a challenge run tossed in for a fun session. There are many things to do outside of the main quest and they come with a nice little incentive to work with - cosmetics! You can earn seasonal currency to get yourself that fresh drip for your shepherd to go adventuring in style.
If I would have any minor gripes with the game is that our hero running can get a little... blurry? It's hard to pin down, but they often flicker when at full charge, bob and wobble with like a little ghostly shimmer, which tends to put a strain on my eyes. Tiniest of nitpicks, but made it hard for me to enjoy longer sessions.
In short, the game is a small but dense package of pure fun. The art style is vibrant, colorful, and very cartoony, giving me that 2010 Cartoon Network vibe. The music is bouncy, energetic, and well-fitting in each of the biomes we'll visit. Sound effects are particularly robust and well made - cutting down veggies is always fun thanks to the squelch they give when chopped. And best of all? The game costs virtually nothing. I had cups of coffee twice as expensive as this game. I felt like a dirty criminal paying so little for such a complete package. Even if you're not much into this kind of game, for such a low asking price you're pretty much robbing yourself for not getting it. A strong recommendation for a well-crafted game.
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